Former Sen. Hinton Mitchem, D-Union Grove, died Tuesday at age 74. With one interruption, Mitchem served in the Alabama Senate from 1974 to 2010.

Written by

Hinton Mitchem, a businessman who served in the Alabama State Senate for over 30 years -- including two as its leader -- died on Tuesday. He was 74.

A native of Georgia, Mitchem served in the Alabama Senate almost continuously from 1979 to 2010 as a Democrat from Union Grove. He stepped away from his Senate seat in 1986 to run for lieutenant governor, losing the race to Jim Folsom, Jr. He won a special election for his old Senate seat the following year.

"Hinton Mitchem worked hard on behalf of the people of his district," said Gov. Robert Bentley in a statement. "I had the pleasure of serving with him ...